That Christ should speak frequently to the disciples about their future work during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, is what might be expected. Tliis accounts for the various forms under which all four Evangelists record His Commission. Conditions of time, place, and circumstances call for fuller, or more con-
• It should be noted, however, that as Mk 10»M is lacking in the best MSS, modern scholars are practically unanimous in holdmg that these verses did not form a part of the original Oospel so that it is doubtful whether they possess any in-
densed, general, or particular statements. Pro- ces.ses of repetition, condensation, expansion, or omission in recording the subject of conversations which extended over nearly six weeks, were present to each writer's consciousness as he penned his narrative. Grotius, as quoted in Poll, Syn., says : ' Uno compendio Matthseus coraplectitur pra;- cipua capita sermonum quos Christus cum Apos- tolis non in nionte tantum, sed et Hierosolymis, antea et post, in ccelum jamjam ascensurus, Bethaniae habuit.' Notwithstanding tliese condi- tions, certain essential features of the Commission correspond in the Gospels, as the following table shows :
Contents of Commissios common to Evangelists.
Mt 2818«-.
Mk leir*..
Lk 2446 «.
Jn 202123.
Universal Mission
Universal Mission
Universal Jlission
Mission of
undefined
range
Baptism
Baptism and Faith
Repentance
and Remission of
sins
substance is Forgiveness
Promise of spiritual Presence
—
Promise of Comforter
Gift of Holy Ghost.
' All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of (ixadiiTeiaaTe) all nations, baptizing them into (eis) tlie name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teacliing tliem to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am witli you alway, even unto tlie end of the world ' (Mt 28'8-™). these words constitute tlie charter of the Christian Church. They dehne in a solemn, authoritative, formal manner, the Commission under which the Apostles and that Church of which they were representatives were to prosecute to its consummation the work begun at Christ's Incarnation. If our Lord gave this Commission in presence of the five hundred witnesses referred to by St. Paul in 1 Co 15^, we can understand the remark of Mt 28'6 that 'some doubted,' for tliese doubters could scarcely at this stage be any of the Eleven. Should this be so, 'it follows that the Lord Himself here committed His formal institu- tions and commissions to the whole assembled Cliurch, with the Apostles at her head, just as at a later day He poured out His Spirit upon the whole assembled Church. And from this, then, we argue that, according to the law of Christ, the Apostolic office and the Church are not two divided sections. In the commission to teach and to baptize, the Apostolical community is one, a united Apo.stolate involving the Church, or a united Church including the Apostles' (Lange, Com. on Matt., Edinburgh ed. p. 560).
Peculiarities in two of the Synoptists' accounts are noticeable. St. Luke tells how Christ opened the understanding of His disciples that they might understand the Scripture testimony to His sufter- ing and resurrection on the third day. Tliis is the line which we should expect Christ to take, if, on any of the occasions when He discussed their future work with the Eleven, He referred to His own part. The Divine necessity for His death would most readily impress itself on tlieir minds wlien associated with intimations thereof in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.
Mk 16'"- [a passage that is very early, even if
348
coM]\nssio]sr
COMMISSION
not from the pen of St. Mark],* wliere the promise of miraculous gifts (aiifieia) is made, has occasioned difficulty, because it seems strange that any of the Evangelists should ha\e omitted to mention so great an endowment. On the other hand, the historicity of tliese verses is strongly urged by Calvin on a priori grounds. He argues that the power of working miracles was essential to the establishment of the disciples themselves, as well as necessary for proving tlie doctrine of the gospel at its commencement, that the power was possessed by onlj; a very few persons [but cf. v.", where the power is to belon" to tliem that believe'] for the confirmation of all, and (thougli not expressly stated by Christ) granted only for a time.
Turning now to St. Matthew's narrative, as fullest and most formal, the first noticeable thing is that the Commission proper is prefaced by our Lord's claim of univer.sal pmcer ; and concluded with a promise of His abiding presence. Tlie risen and glorified Chri.st speaks as Lord and King of heaven and earth, in ' the majestj; of His e.xalted humanity and brightness of His divinity' (Lange). His dis- ciples, liaving to undertake a superliuman task, required to be assured that they were backed by superliuman authority. Nothing but the assur- ance of such power at their disposal could nerve men to attack those strongliolds of sin and Satan which must be overtlirown before the kingdom of heaven can be established in human hearts. Meyer defines the power here claimed by Christ as the ' muiiKS regiiuii Christi without limitation.'
By ihe promis,- 'Ami, lo, I .am with you alway, even unto tin- end of the world,' Christ assures His followers that the universal power possessed by Himself ^^■ill be at their disposal when engaged in doing His work. The mystery of Christ's name 'S,ix.ixa.voini\—QoA with us, is here fulfilled—/ in the fullest sense, as if He, the risen, exalted, all- nowerful head of the Church, ' stretched out His hand from heaven ' (Calvin). He is present in tlie Person of the Holy Spirit ( Jn 14"- =«) through His Word (14«) and Sacrament (Mt 26^^). This pro- mise is made to the whole Church in the widest sense, as well as to the Apostles and all who should take up their official work in propagating and preserving the Christian Church as missionaries and pastors. Alford says : ' To understand lud' ii/jLuv only of the Apostles and their (?) successors, is to destroy the whole force of these most weighty words. . . . The command is to the LTniversal Church, to be performed in the nature of things by her ministers and teachers, the manner of appointing whom is not here prescribed, l>ut to be learnt in the unfoldings of Proxi'iiii'.' n i ni,],.,! in the Acts of the Apostles, who li.v lli p..;i| ,„di- nance were the founders and lii-' IihIm.i ..i that Church, but wlio.se office, on tir'l r. , w/ .:■ ,,iint, prcrluilcd the iihn (if succession nr riinir,//.'